4 health & wellness apps to ring in the new year.

It’s that time of year again. The time when we are still full-throttle in our New Year’s Resolutions to eat healthier, lose weight, workout more, yada yada yada. But let’s be honest, by February you’ll be back to your old ways and these resolutions will be a mere blip in your year’s radar.

However, I have a few health and wellness apps for you to help you KEEP your New Year’s Resolutions, or rather just keep your new, healthy lifestyle.

Headspace

Headspace is a guided meditation/mindful meditation app. The main sessions are 10 minutes long and who doesn’t have 10 minutes a day? That’s way less time than I spend mindlessly surfing Facebook. Personally, I do my daily meditation session right before bed to clear my mind and help me sleep. The app itself is free and includes 10 free sessions which you can use over and over again. If you want more focused meditations, you can pay $12.95/month (or reduce it to $7.99/month when you pay for a year in full) for a wide variety of topics including: creativity, anxiety, stress, focus, motivation and balance. You can download it here.

Aaptiv

Aaptiv is like having a personal trainer for way less money. I used to have their other app, Cyclecast that was strictly for spin classes, but this one covers meditation, walking, treadmill, outdoor running, elliptical, indoor cycling, yoga and strength training. You can choose from different trainers, levels, times and types. For example, today I did an intermediate HITT workout on the spin bike for 40 minutes! And they choose great playlists (so you don’t even need to comb through Spotify to find the perfect, upbeat songs). The app itself is free, but you have to purchase a subscription (after a free 7-day trial) which is $9.99/month. You can download it here.

Charity Miles

Who can say no to running if you’re running/walking for charity? Charity Miles allows you to run for charity without signing up for a 5K. You simply enable your GPS, pick from a list of charities and go! Charities include Girl Up, (RED), ALS Association, charity:water, National Park Foundation, Feeding America, Girls on the Run and way more. You can choose between running/walking and biking. To make it more social, you can create a virtual team with you and your friends. Sponsors pledge a certain amount per mile and then you help fulfill that pledge with your activity. While you run, you can see your donation rack up, which is extra motivation! You can download here.

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Fitbit

Okay, I know you have to have a Fitbit to really utilize this app, but if you’re serious about fitness, I would suggest purchasing one! I have the ChargeHR because I enjoy tracking my heart rate during workouts, but the original Fitbit Flex is just as great. The app allows you to not only track your steps, but input workouts, log your water intake, monitor your sleep habits and even weight and calorie intake. Personally, I don’t track calories and would rather focus on eating a balanced diet than how many calories consumed, but this option is available on the app. I also like the social aspect, where I can be in a challenge with friends for a day or a week to see who gets the most steps! You can buy a Fitbit and download the app here.

I hope these apps are helpful for your 2017 wellness goals. Let me know what you think of these or if you have any suggestions for other apps to try!